By Saiful Bahri Kamaruddin
Pix Abd Ra’ai Osman

BANGI, 18 March 13 2015 – Malaysia should give priority to Records and Information Management (RIM) if it wants to compete with developed countries.

Prof Dr Zawiyah Mohammad Yusof of the Faculty of Information Science and Technology (FTSM) said those who want to implement RIM should invest more in data storage capacity and expertise to manage information using a combination of experts in various fields.

Giving her Inaugural Lecture on ‘Records and Information Management: Issues and Challenges’ here recently, Prof Zawiyah said perception about record-keeping needs to be changed from merely being a historical archive to a strategic asset that can move the country ahead.

Issues related to records and information must be addressed clearly, especially storage in digital form as they are easily created and difficult to trace, she said as in time to come a government or an organisation that can acquire information will have a competitive advantage.

The creation of ever-expanding information in quantum leaps occurs as countries become more technologically savvy, thus creating an information explosion.

She, however, was disappointed that most of the information created is rarely used or accessed.

Information explosion demands that organisations establish mechanisms and develop policies, strategies and systems that information is stored for posterity where data is available in a timely manner whenever required for decision-making.

Because information is increasingly recognised as a national asset, information management becomes critical, justifying the need for governance to make it relevant.

Developed countries, she said, understand the power of information especially records and they recognised the importance of the accuracy, quality, updates, security and easy access to information other than the ability to manage the politics of information.

To ensure the success of an organisation, information must be fully exploited as part of its strategy. Therefore, the information must be fully protected especially if its valuable then maintained and operated by professionals and monitored. Information, she said, is protected by law without any compromise.

Vice-Chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Noor Azlan Ghazali introduced Prof Zawiyah prior to her lecture.

She received her Masters from University College, London and her PhD from the Department of Information and Library Studies, University of Wales at Aberystwyth.